FBI hopes reward spurs arrest in Tracy mosque firebombing

Published 3:53 pm, Monday, January 4, 2016

A member of the Tracy Islamic Center discovered the remains of an explosive device Dec. 26. The FBI is now offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible.

A member of the Tracy Islamic Center discovered the remains of an explosive device Dec. 26. The FBI is now offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible.

Photo: FBI / FBI

FBI hopes reward spurs arrest in Tracy mosque firebombing

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The FBI offered a $2,500 reward on Monday for information leading to the arrests of those responsible for an attempted firebombing on a San Joaquin Valley mosque last month.

Police said a Molotov cocktail was thrown over a chain-link fence to a door of the Tracy Islamic Center. The president of the mosque’s board discovered the remains of the explosive device Dec. 26. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and FBI are investigating the incident as an attempted arson and possible hate crime.

Authorities believe the device may have been hurled in front of the center in an attempt to set it on fire. Mosque officials said the attack caused about $1,000 in damage.

Basim Elkarra, executive director of the Sacramento Valley office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said law enforcement officials were quick to respond and that the reward may help deter other attacks. He added that interfaith groups reached out to the Muslim community soon after the firebombing attempt.

“The intent of whoever did this was probably to divide the community, but instead it brought us together,” Elkarra said.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the sheriff’s office at (209) 468-4400, the FBI’s Sacramento office at (916) 481-9110 or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at (888) 283-8477.